Life in modern world characterized by comfort and tranquility. Submitting to the rules and laws of a civilized society, a person sometimes forgets about his nature. However, the reactions and instincts that are given to us from birth do not disappear, sometimes finding a way out unusual forms activities. Every day, hundreds of people take risks for no particular reason. own life. They are constantly chasing their dose adrenaline hormone. This thirst for adventure can be expressed in the form of addiction. And this dependence is quite real, although it is mostly psychological.

Adrenaline "addicts"

Dependence on thrills arises among young ladies as early as adolescence when a teenager goes through a period of developing his personality. When a girl is unsure of herself, she tries to find the strength to cope with her own fears. Of course, not every person is ready to face their animal instincts, but there are many of them. People often try to find the limit of their own physical capabilities to find out if they are actually worth anything.

Overcoming Fears

Extreme sports can help you overcome the limits of your capabilities. The principle is simple: if you are afraid of heights, go skydiving, if you are afraid of falling, go skateboarding. In the process of overcoming one's own fears, a person develops adrenaline hormone, a fear hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. Adrenaline causes the heart to beat faster and a part of the brain called the pituitary gland to produce large number endorphin - the hormone of happiness. It makes you, as they say, “feel alive.” The feeling of euphoria that occurs can last for several hours. However, after some time, this becomes not enough. The body strives to return the experienced state of happiness and satisfaction. In addition, over time, the feeling of dissatisfaction and uncertainty returns. Each time a person sets himself more and more complex tasks, constantly fighting with himself.

The harm of adrenaline addiction

Theoretically, dependence on adrenaline hormone- not bad and not dangerous phenomenon. Adrenaline is a substance that is naturally produced in the human body, and dependence on it is rather a psychological phenomenon, and is not accompanied by the “withdrawal” that is usually associated with drugs. However, there is a danger. In pursuit of thrills, teenagers may not control their own actions. Any extreme athletes and stuntmen undergo long months and years of training, polishing their skills, developing strength and agility. But a hasty extreme sports enthusiast may not have time for that. This ends in falls, injuries and bruises. But this is not the worst option. If similar an adrenaline “addict” lacks risk and can become overly reckless in everyday life: conflict with people around you, dramatize your own behavior, drive carelessly, thus endangering the health of not only your own, but also those of others.

Healthy attraction

It is difficult to draw clear lines between healthy adrenaline addiction and unhealthy psychological cravings. In the most advanced cases Only a psychotherapist can cope with the problem. If the problem is not so serious, you just need to direct the teenager’s activities in the right direction. For example, professional sports will help keep a person occupied, protect him from reckless injuries and teach him how to use it wisely. own capabilities. Hormone adrenaline- this is a deposit successful development human civilization, which does not allow people to calmly stand still and slowly degrade, so there is no need to waste energy wasting energy on trifles.

Life on the run, literally at the limit of one’s capabilities, constant bustle, haste, excitement - it is generally accepted that this is the natural pace for residents of a metropolis. But psychologists believe that the habit of living in nervous tension is not only harmful to our health, but also dangerous with the risk of addiction to adrenaline. The absence of vivid experiences instantly plunges such a person into a feeling of fatigue and emptiness. Why adrenaline addiction occurs and how to avoid it - we will figure it out today.

What is adrenaline addiction and where does it come from?

At first, the need to manage a million things every day seems burdensome to us - the fast pace of life makes us feel tired. But over time, endless running with rare and short rest breaks, increased level adrenaline and stress become our habit and become the norm of life. Getting used to living in endless nervous tension, people lose the ability to relax and rest - if there is suddenly a pause in life, the adrenaline junkie begins to experience severe stress and confusion.

More often adrenaline addiction people with many complexes and internal contradictions are susceptible - filling their lives with stressful experiences, a person automatically stops suffering from internal conflicts - he simply has neither the strength nor the time left for this. Man with developed intuition And high level awareness, he is unlikely to choose for himself a way of life in which he does not even have time to feel its taste, enjoy it; rather, he will struggle with the conditions in which he ceases to hear and feel himself, his true desires and needs, and not create them for himself artificially . The subconscious desire to “load” oneself with activities and impressions may signal internal problems and the desire to hide from them behind vivid emotions and experiences, and not always positive ones.

In some cases, adrenaline addiction is formed in childhood - most often, adrenaline addicts become people whose parents overprotected them, not allowing them to take a step on their own, as well as those who, on the contrary, were not given due attention. In both cases, such children grow up without a “core” inside, with an unformed inner “I” and a lack of understanding of how to fill the emptiness in the soul.

How does adrenaline addiction harm us?

It would seem increased activity is much better than passivity and can be useful for a person - to help him reach certain heights and prove to himself that he is capable of much. However, the price to pay for the frantic pace of life and addiction to adrenaline can be quite high - a constant excess of adrenaline in the blood destroys the immune system and leads to cardiovascular diseases, sleep disorders, ulcers and gastritis - and this is just a small list of how life is “wear and tear” may affect our health. An adrenaline junkie does not allow his body to rest and recover - as soon as the usual activity is reduced, the person begins to feel the symptoms of so-called adrenaline withdrawal - lethargy, emptiness, lack of emotions. Feeling a desire to feel “alive,” an adrenaline junkie again and again performs actions that contribute to the release of adrenaline, and often these methods are destructive to physical and mental health - alcohol, drugs, extreme sports, scandals with other people...

What to do?

If you discover signs of adrenaline addiction, you should take measures to combat it as soon as possible, without waiting until the craving for thrills will begin to harm you.

• Try to understand your true motives. What exactly are you trying to drown out - a feeling own inferiority, resentment, loneliness... What would you like to feel instead of the emptiness inside, what do you lack? Admit to yourself the lack of love, understanding, trust, the need for self-realization through your favorite business, instead of a “prestigious” career... Have you always needed stress to fill your existence with meaning? How have you ever filled the emptiness inside? The more accurately you can formulate your inner needs, the easier it will be for you to find a recipe for recovery from adrenaline addiction that is right for you.
• Look for “escape routes.” Come up with activities for yourself that you can switch to as soon as you feel that you are again starting to drive yourself into stressful situation. These activities should not excite you, make you feel nervous tension or others strong emotions. For example, this could be any type of handicraft - by creating something beautiful with your own hands, you will help your body relax and relieve stress, the main thing is to choose a type of creativity that can captivate you and give you pleasure. If you are used to boosting your adrenaline levels with... extreme sports, try replacing it with relaxing yoga or Pilates - the portion of endorphins you get in the process will become an excellent alternative the usual dose of adrenaline and cortisol.
• Try new things. To get rid of adrenaline addiction, you need to find an equivalent substitute for adrenaline - something that makes you feel “alive”, but without the stress and risk. Try everything - the feeling of novelty in itself can provide you with a portion of happiness hormones - endorphins. Any new impressions, sensations, new information or new skills will contribute to mental healing from adrenaline addiction - regular intake of joy hormones into the body will not let you miss the adrenaline.

Well, it’s wonderful that we are trying to understand how stress works, how we can live more healthy life and how to make the world a more pleasant place and so on, but it's time we really devote some time to important issue: Why can't we tickle ourselves?

Before we dive into this serious issue, we first need to understand why not all people can tickle you. Perhaps it needs to be a person you are attracted to. For example, you are five years old, and no one can make you tickle as much as your stupid uncle, who first chases you around the room for a long time. Or - you are twelve, and there is one person at school from whom butterflies begin to fly in your stomach, and mysterious and strange sensations appear in other parts of your body. That's why we probably won't giggle if, say, Slobodan Milosevic starts tickling us.

Most of us feel more or less positive about ourselves. So why can't we tickle ourselves? Philosophers have pondered this question for centuries and have come to some conclusions. But theories about self-tickling are a dime a dozen. This mystery was eventually solved by a scientist who conducted an experiment.

Sarah-Jane Blackmore of University College London pioneered the theory that you can't tickle yourself because you know exactly when and where you'll be tickled. There is no element of surprise here. And she set out to test this assumption by inventing a tickling machine. This machine consists of a handle attached to a sponge pad; When you move the handle with one hand using the various rollers and joints driven by the computer, the pad almost instantly strokes the palm of your other hand, moving in the same direction as the direction the handle is moving.

Being a pragmatic scientist, Blackmore calculated it all and came up with a “tickle index.” Then she reinvented the wheel - if someone else moves the handle, then you are ticklish, if you do it yourself - nothing like that. There is no element of surprise. You won't be able to tickle yourself even with a tickle machine.

Blackmore then tested her theory by removing the sense of predictability from the process of tickling herself. First, she removed the sense of predictability regarding the timing of the tickling—the person moves the handle, but suddenly there is a pause before the sponge moves. Any delay longer than three-tenths of a second and the tickle index increases, as if someone else is tickling you. Now let's take away the sense of predictability of where the tickling happens - the person moves the handle, say, back and forth, and suddenly the sponge moves in a different direction. Any deviation more than 90 degrees from your intended movement of the pad and you are tickled, as if someone else is tickling you¹.

Finally we have come to something. Tickling does not produce a tickling sensation when there is no element of surprise. Unpredictability. Weakening control. And suddenly our beautiful world The science of tickling is collapsing. We spent a lot of time a few pages ago learning that cornerstones Psychological stress is built around a lack of control and predictability. It was bad - and at the same time, most of us love to be tickled by a person we like.

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¹ An experiment of such grace, intelligence and eccentricity makes me proud to be a scientist.

² A brief digression on the political correctness of titillation. I once read a rather strange and boring article about how no one really likes being tickled, how it all ties into the theme of power and control on the part of the tickler - especially when it comes to children, and how laughter really is not actually pleasant, but reflexive, and that asking to be tickled is an agreement with one’s subordinate position and love for one’s chains, and soon terms like “phallocentric” and “deceased luminaries from Europe” began to pour in, as well as fake quotes from the speech of the leader of Seattle. As a biologist, the first thing I do when faced with a conundrum like this is to look to phylogenetic precedent for insight into the human phenomenon: Do other species do this? Because if other, related species do the same thing, it weakens the argument that the phenomenon is rooted in human culture. I can report to you that chimpanzees love to be tickled. As for all chimpanzees trained in American sign language, one of the first words they learned was “tickle,” and their first sentence was “tickle me.” I worked with one of these chimpanzees in college. If he showed the "tickle me" sign sequence correctly, then I would tickle him until he dropped - chimpanzees curl up into a ball, close their ribs, and let out a quick, silent, raucous giggle when tickled. If you stop tickling, he sits down, takes a breath, wipes the sweat from his forehead, because it was already too much. Then a light comes on in his eyes and he shows me “tickle me” over and over again.

Hey wait one more minute Several pieces of our belief system begin to fall apart - we wait in long lines at the cinema to see a film that will surprise and terrify us, we bungee jump and ride roller coasters - activities that definitely rob us of a sense of control and predictability. We pay a lot of money to be stressed at times. And while we're on the subject, as we mentioned, we switch to the sympathetic nervous system and produce huge amounts of glucocorticoids during sex, what's wrong with that? Chapter 9 gave us some insight into the role of stress-induced analgesia in making us feel less miserable during times of stress. But I'll start this chapter by saying that if you get the right amount of stress, if your desire for homeostasis is challenged with the right intensity, then you won't just feel less terrible - you can feel great.

How does it work? And why do some people find stress and risky behavior so enjoyable that they become addicted? And how do stress interact with pleasure and with the properties of various substances associated with the formation of addiction?

Neurochemistry of pleasure

As we saw in Chapter 14, the brain contains a pleasure pathway that makes heavy use of the neurotransmitter dopamine. As we also learned in that chapter, if there is not enough dopamine in this pathway, anhedonia or dysphoria can develop as a result. This "dopaminergic" projection originates in a deep region of the brain called the ventral tegmental area of ​​the midbrain. It projects to an area called the nucleus accumbens, and then, in turn, is sent to the most different places. These locations include the frontal cortex, which—as we saw in Chapters 10 and 12—plays a key role in executive function, decision making, and impulse control. There are also projections to the anterior cingulate cortex, which, as we saw in Chapter 14, appears to play a role in the sensation of sadness (leading to the idea that dopaminergic defenses are generally suppressed by the cingulate cortex). There is also a strong projection to the amygdala, which, as we saw in the previous chapter, plays a key role in anxiety and fear.

The connection between dopamine and pleasure is a very important and elusive one. At first glance, one might assume that the transmitter is about pleasure, about reward. For example, let's take a monkey that has been trained to do this task: a bell sounds, which means that the monkey now presses the lever ten times, which results in the appearance of the desired tasty reward ten seconds later. You can immediately guess that activation of the dopamine pathway causes maximum neuronal activity in the frontal cortex in response to reward.

Brilliant research by Wolfram Schultz of the University of Freiburg in Switzerland has revealed something more interesting. Yes, frontal neurons fire in response to reward. But the strongest reaction occurs earlier, around the time the bell rings and the task begins. This is not a “this is nice!” signal at all. It has to do with skill and expectation and confidence. It's: “I know what this signal means. I know the rules - IF I press the lever, THEN I will get food. I try my best. Everything will be just wonderful." Pleasure - in anticipation of reward; from a dopamine perspective, reward is what is thought about in last resort(Fig. 58).

Psychologists designate the period of anticipation, waiting, working for a reward as the “appetite” stage, the one that is filled with appetite, and the stage that begins with the appearance of reward is called the “consumer” stage. Schultz's research shows that if you know what your

appetite will be satisfied, then pleasure is more connected with the appetite itself than with its satisfaction¹.

Next important thing What we should learn is that dopamine and the associated feeling of pleasant anticipation are the fuel for the work that needs to be done to achieve reward.

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¹ My classmate, who had an almost endless series of failed relationships, summed up the idea with a cynicism that would make George Bernard Shaw proud: “Relationships are the price you pay for anticipating them.” (It was Shaw who once wrote: “Love is a vast exaggeration of the differences between one person and all others.”)

Paul Phillips of the University of North Carolina used some extremely sophisticated techniques to measure millisecond dopamine spikes in rats, and showed a maximum of at the moment temporal resolution that the spikes occur just before the behavior. Then, as a clincher, he artificially stimulated the release of dopamine, and suddenly the rat began pressing the lever. Dopamine is indeed the fuel for behavior.

Next the most important moment is that the strength of these pathways can change, just like any other part of the brain. A surge of dopaminergic pleasure occurs immediately after the light turns on, and all that is required is the habituation of longer and longer intervals between light and reward so that these anticipatory dopamine surges fuel an ever-increasing frequency of lever pressing. This is exactly how delaying gratification works—the basis of goal-directed behavior is anticipation. And soon we abstain from immediate pleasure in order to receive good grades, in order to get into a good college, in order to get good job, so that in old age we can choose for ourselves which nursing home to go to.

Schultz's recent work adds an interesting detail to this. Suppose, under certain given conditions, the subject receives a signal, completes the task and then receives a reward. In the second situation, there is also a signal, there is a task, and then, instead of a guaranteed reward, there is simply high probability receiving it. In other words, when the overall context is favorable (that is, when the probability of a good outcome is high), there is an element of surprise. Under these conditions, there is an even more powerful release of dopamine. Immediately after the task is completed, dopamine release begins to rise to much higher levels. high performance than usual, with a peak around the time when the reward, if received, would appear. Imagine: “Everything will be great... maybe... maybe...” and your neurons will spray dopamine all around in anticipation. This is the essence of why—as we know from introductory psychology—probabilistic reinforcement is so reinforcing. These findings show us that if you think you have a good chance of getting full, but you're not entirely sure, then your pleasure turns out to be associated with appetite even more than with satiety.

So dopamine plays important role in anticipation of pleasure and in giving you the energy to respond to stimuli. However, this is not the whole story about pleasure, reward and anticipation. For example, rats retain some degree of reward responsiveness even when their pathways are artificially deprived of dopamine. Opioids may play a role in other pathways involved. Moreover, dopamine pathways appear to be most relevant for these peak, intense variants of anticipation. One recent and exciting study demonstrates this. Take college students (of either gender) who are in relationships with what they believe is their "one" true love" Put them in a scanner and show them pictures of faces that are familiar but neutral to them. At some point, show a picture of your lover or lover. If a person is in a relationship for the first few months, then the dopamine pathways get high. For those who have been in a relationship for years, this does not happen. Instead, it activates the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain we discussed in the chapter on depression. The midbrain tegmental area/nucleus accumbens dopamine system appears to be associated with unbridled passion and maddening anticipation. After two years, the anterior cingulate cortex comes into play, it becomes a conductor of something close to a feeling of warmth, comfort... or, perhaps, a calm version of love.

Stress and reward

So, the most enjoyable thing about tickling is the anticipation of tickling. The element of surprise and lack of control. In other words, we are back where we started - when does a lack of control and predictability fuel the release of dopamine and the feeling of pleasure from anticipation, and when is it the main thing that causes the stress response during psychological stress?

The key issue seems to be whether uncertainty arises in a benign or unfavorable context. If you're tickled by a cute classmate in that sexually budding stage of adolescence, it's possible - just possible - that the tickling will be followed by something really good, like walking around holding hands. On the contrary, if you are tickled by a certain dictator, then it is possible - just possible - that after that he will try to cleanse you ethnically. If the context is such that you are at risk of injury, then the lack of predictability adds stress. If the context is that someone very dear to you is likely to eventually say yes, then her periodic changes of anger to mercy are all you need to embark on a fifty-year courtship. Part of what the world does gambling What makes Las Vegas so absorbing is the brilliant manipulation of people, when they are made to believe that the environment is more likely to be favorable than not, made to believe that it is likely good result- especially for such an extraordinary and lucky person like you... as long as you continue to insert tokens into the machine and press the handle.

What creates a favorable environment in which uncertainty is more likely to be pleasant rather than stressful? The key element is how long the experience lasts. A pleasant lack of control is closely related to transience - there is a reason why a roller coaster ride lasts three minutes, not three weeks. Another thing that makes uncertainty feel good is if it is accompanied by a greater degree of control and predictability. No matter how naturalistic and thrilling a horror movie is, you still know that Anthony Perkins is after Janet Leigh, not you. No matter how wild, scary, unpredictable and exhilarating a bungee jump is, it still takes place in the context of your confidence that these guys have a license for their bungee jump. This is the essence of the game. You are giving up some control - think of a dog starting play with another dog by crouching down and becoming smaller, more vulnerable, less in control. But this must happen within a broader security context. No one starts lying on their back and exposing their neck to someone they haven’t sniffed thoroughly first.

It's time to introduce you to one completely unexpected aspect of neurochemistry that ties it all together. Glucocorticoids are hormones that have been found at crime scenes in literally every stress-related pathology we know of, and those same sneaky glucocorticoids... are triggers for the release of dopamine from the pleasure pathways. This is not a universal effect across all dopamine pathways in the brain. Just for the pleasure path. What's particularly remarkable is what Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Michel Le Moal of the University of Bordeaux in France have shown - laboratory rats will even work to receive an injection of glucocorticoids, pressing the handle until they receive exactly the amount needed to maximize the amount of dopamine released by the hormone.

What should be the effect of glucocorticoids to maximize the release of dopamine? You may already be able to guess. Their level should rise to average, and this should not last too long. As we've seen, you can experience prolonged and severe stress - and your learning abilities, synaptic plasticity and immune defenses will be violated. As we have seen, you can experience mild stress and memory, synaptic plasticity, and immunity will be enhanced. It's the same here. Experience long-term and profound effects of glucocorticoids and we are back to Chapter 14 - Dopamine Reduction, Dysphoria and Depression. But short-term and mid-level increases in glucocorticoids release dopamine. And temporary activation of the amygdala also releases dopamine. Combine the rise in glucocorticoids with the accompanying activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and you will also increase the delivery of glucose and oxygen to the brain. You will feel focused, energized, alive, motivated, excited. You'll feel great. We have a name for this temporary stress. We call it “stimulation”¹.

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¹ This explains the pattern noted in Chapter 14 that can often be seen in people taking synthetic glucocorticoids to control autoimmune or inflammatory diseases. As a result, people usually feel depressed. But in the first few days the opposite is true - they are very energetic and euphoric.

Adrenaline addiction is not as well known as alcohol, tobacco or drug addiction. At first glance, its consequences are not so terrible. However, what is dangerous about adrenaline addiction is that little is known about it and certain diseases and negative personality states are rarely associated with it.

A little about adrenaline. The hormone adrenaline is produced by cells of the adrenal medulla. When adrenaline enters the blood, almost all organs react to it with changes in activity. You can determine the release of adrenaline by an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, narrowing of blood vessels in the skin and organs abdominal cavity, mucous membranes and skeletal muscles. The heart first begins to beat faster and then slows down. Adrenaline is very important for the body, since in dangerous and difficult situations it mobilizes all the forces of the body to protect or avoid danger.

However, adrenaline can enter the blood not only in critical situations, but also in any stressful situations. Do not forget that they can also have a positive connotation: holidays, achievements, victories - these and other events cause the body to react with the release of adrenaline.

What is “adrenaline addiction”?

There are a lot of adrenaline junkies, but they themselves may not know it. At first glance they are impossible to identify. Interestingly, there are quite a few adrenaline junkies among successful people Those who constantly strive for something achieve success.

However, they often talk about adrenaline addiction when a person is addicted to thrills. It can take our breath away to watch people jumping from a parachute, jumping from a bridge, jumping, etc. extreme species sports But a person with adrenaline addiction does not see anything scary in these sports, but, on the contrary, enjoys them.

The thing is that in situations of risk to human health or life, the brain gives a command about danger and the adrenal glands begin to intensively release a large dose of adrenaline into the blood. Rapid heartbeat and other consequences of adrenaline lead to the fact that the pituitary gland begins to produce large amounts of endorphins - hormones of happiness. Increased heart rate, rapid breathing and hyperventilation of the lungs in turn cause a feeling of euphoria that can last for hours. Of course, having experienced such euphoria once, the body will want to return to this unusual state again.

Adrenaline addiction: causes.

1. Wish unusual sensations after they have been received several times.

2. Adrenaline addiction may be caused by work. It is clear that professions such as firefighter, pilot, policeman, military man, and athlete do not exist without adrenaline. A person can go to work in these specialties for the reason that he likes to experience the feeling of fear, or he can become addicted to it already in the course of work.

3. Weak self-esteem and complexes. Sometimes a person tries to overcome his complexes with the help of something unusual. He takes a risk, receives a dose of adrenaline, which for some time supports a person’s self-confidence. The return of complexes and low self-esteem pushes a person to new achievements.

The problem of adrenaline addiction The point is that to get adrenaline, a person needs more and more emotions each time. In addition, frequent exposure to adrenaline excitement leads to the fact that a person feels uncomfortable in a calm environment, may experience weakness and malaise, and chronic diseases become aggravated, which should be treated not by doctors, but by psychotherapists. An adrenaline addict may look for experiences where it would be better not to, he takes reckless risks just to get the next dose of adrenaline.

How to get rid of adrenaline addiction? believes that just like any other, you should try to refrain from situations that bring a surge of adrenaline. Sometimes, especially severe cases, adrenaline addiction must be treated by a psychotherapist.

Adrenaline is pumping: the best tricks in the world.

Adrenaline addiction is a mental disorder. It manifests itself in constant need in receiving adrenaline. Thanks to him, patients experience positive emotions. You need to know other symptoms and treatment of the disease.

Typically, addiction to adrenaline appears in young people who prefer extreme entertainment. They are not afraid of the risk of death. Lack of self-preservation instinct is the worst consequence of adrenaline addiction.

Reasons for appearance

Adrenaline addiction - the result emotional burnout. The man is missing bright emotions and the experiences he tries to gain through extreme activities. He likes the feeling of excitement that he wants to return to.

Other reasons:

1. Hypocustody. A situation where a child is left to his own devices. When such a child decides to try himself in an extreme sport, he knows that he will not suffer any punishment. No one can warn him about the risks and negative consequences such entertainment.
2. Dangerous work. Pilots, firefighters, police officers, doctors and representatives of other dangerous professions are constantly in a state of stress. As a result, the body adapts to this and begins to require more adrenaline. Without such a drug, a person cannot work normally and perform his duties.
3. Complexity. To overcome their complexes and fears, some people deliberately take risks. Getting a dose of adrenaline is proof that they are capable of more, it increases the level of self-esteem.

Symptoms

Adrenaline addiction develops on the psychological and physical levels. The symptoms resemble drug addiction and alcoholism. The main manifestation is the presence of withdrawal symptoms due to a long-term absence of the production of the fear hormone. It is easier for the patient to get a dose of adrenaline again in order to experience the feeling of euphoria.

The main manifestations of adrenaline addiction:

• pulse quickens;
• blood pressure rises;
• breathing becomes difficult;
• skin vessels narrow;
• cramps appear in the stomach;
• heart rate increases;
• sweating increases, etc.

A person becomes dependent on such a state, wants to again experience positive emotions and get rid of lethargy and fatigue.

The fear hormone is needed to combat potential threatening objects. The adrenaline rush makes you retreat ordinary person to save your life. For the patient, this is a chance to feel the high again.

Consequences

Excessive release of adrenaline is harmful to the body. This negatively affects the functioning of the heart. Any extreme sport in such a state can result in sudden stop hearts.

Other disorders that can cause large doses of adrenaline:

• destruction of immunity;
• the appearance of insomnia and other sleep disorders;
• deterioration reproductive function in women;
• impaired potency in men;
• diseases of the vestibular apparatus;
• decrease in calcium levels in the body.

The action of this hormone causes consequences associated with mental health. Due to excessive production of the fear hormone, disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system occur.

Constant craving for extreme hobbies affects relationships with loved ones. The number of quarrels is increasing. There may be problems at work, in communicating with friends.

The most terrible consequence- death. A person, wanting to get a new dose of adrenaline or being under its influence, is unable to fully assess the riskiness of the situation.

Self-treatment

The best way to get rid of adrenaline addiction is to play sports. It is important to change extreme sports to safer ones. It could be:

• swimming;
• fitness;
• aerobics;
• volleyball, etc.

The feeling of adrenaline is especially pronounced during competitions. It encourages you to reach the finish line first. But there is no excess of the fear hormone, so it is not harmful to health.

You can start keeping a success diary.

The third way is to change your life. If the cause of adrenaline addiction is gray everyday life, then you should turn it into bright and unforgettable. Learn to enjoy communication with loved ones and colleagues.

Hiking in the mountains may replace mountaineering. Instead of jumping from 100 meters in height, it is better to start enjoying the scenery.

Other options due to which adrenaline begins to be produced, but without harm to health:

• helping other people (in return the person will hear gratitude and also experience a small dose of adrenaline);
• joy for the victory of your favorite team;
• watching the sunrise or sunset;
• saving someone else's life;
• achieving a dream or goal, etc.

Young people will benefit greatly from having sex with a loved one.

To make your life more colorful, you need to travel. For extreme sports enthusiasts, you can go to Africa, Latin America. If possible, you can go to an amusement park with extreme rides.

You need to learn to see positive things in your world and give less importance to negative things, and then the health risks will be minimal.

Working with a psychologist

He will conduct a diagnosis to determine the degree of addiction, and then prescribe treatment. This is usually cognitive behavioral therapy.

At the first session, the patient should answer the following questions:

• why life seems gray and dull to me;
• in situations of health risks, does this scare me;
• why can’t I spend my leisure time differently;
• what happens when I do extreme sports;
• do my loved ones suffer from my hobbies, etc.

Such a discussion will help you understand the problem and accept it. This will have a positive impact on further treatment.

The doctor’s task is to change the patient’s behavior, to explain clear examples that life is beautiful without the constant rush of adrenaline. This is achieved through homework. They are the second component of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Examples of home activities:

• reading an article about the dangers of excessive adrenaline release;
• attending a lecture where the topic of discussion will be the harm of increased production of the fear hormone;
• finding your favorite activities;
• discovering new sports that can replace extreme entertainment;

The main condition for treatment is the desire to get rid of the problem.

On average, 5 sessions are needed for a complete cure. If a person is ready to work hard on his development, 3 visits to a psychologist are enough. Session duration is from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Conclusion

Dependence on the fear hormone, or adrenaline, is inherent in young people, it usually develops between the ages of 17 and 19 years. Such people consciously take risks and love extreme entertainment. They are addicted to the production of adrenaline, like addicts to a drug.

Symptoms are the same as for any other mental disorder: rapid breathing and heartbeat, high blood pressure and sweating, stomach cramps, etc. If a person has well-developed willpower, he should try self-medication or seek help from a psychologist. As a result, the patient will understand that joy and euphoria can be experienced without the constant production of adrenaline.